New York. 90's

Steve and Brandon arrived in New York two days later. They greeted each other warmly but in the eyes of both you could see the concern.

Kelly was Steve's first love, a naive and unripe love, that kind of love that never heals and remains in the heart as something unattainable, as one of the places of carefree, Brandon loved Kelly, he had tried to deny himself that it was so, he had tried to go on, to go further, trying to give space to Susan, in Boston, but at night when he was in bed, when silence silenced the city and he felt Susan sleeping next to him, the thought and heart always came back to her.

Kelly could be the cause of his happiness but also the cause of his greatest pain and that scared him because she made him vulnerable.

They took a taxi and arrived at a hotel a couple of blocks from Colin's house.

New York was as feverish as ever, with all its contradictions, Boston was more elegant in gestures, New York was less formal.

Steve knocked on the door of Brandon's hotel room.

"Are you ready?"

Brandon sighed "yeah..." he said in a low voice. He wasn't sure what he would say and how Kelly might react. The last time they had seen each other was a total disaster. He had said things he didn't think and that were dictated by anger and frustration over that photograph, by the fact that it was Valerie who showed it to him, or maybe it was the matter of giving up on the Chicago Chronical.

He actually didn't even know what had happened in his mind but by it had happened and it couldn't be changed.

They arrived at Colin's building. They went up to the seventh floor and rang at apartment 7 E as the girls had indicated.

Hawaii

Pearl Harbour

Thursday, November 06, 1941

That day was a different day, the air was different, the sunlight was different. The girls were all getting ready together, laughing while one helped the other put on makeup, fix her hair. All the bridesmaids' clothes were hanging here and there. Brenda had chosen an antique rose and wanted almost all of her nurse friends. Andrea too. Only a few had had to give up to stay in the hospital and continue their job. To choose between them was drawn by lot.

The admiral's daughter had helped make the wedding dress, her name was Valerie. A beautiful girl with huge blue eyes and a beautiful smile. She was the daughter of the admiral, the commander of the entire Pearl Harbour device, as not many weddings were seen in those parts, as soon as she heard about it, Valerie had wanted to meet Brenda. She had asked her if she could help her, what kind of dress she would want.

"It's not a big deal," Brenda had told her.

Valerie laughed "you'll want to joke, who knows when we'll see a wedding around here again, tell me Brenda what color do you want the bridesmaids' dresses?"

'Bridesmaids?'

"Of course the bridesmaids... And then we're at hawaii, the only possible location is the beach"

Brenda was overwhelmed by Valerie's cheerfulness and organizational skills. She took the silverware from her house, and brought the cloth directly from India.

She recruited a team of sees from among the same nurses who could design the dress as they wanted as long as it was antique pink and for the wedding dress she took care of it.

The military built a wooden altar and it was decorated with white Hibiscus and green leaves.

The officers' good tablecloths were made available by order of the admiral.

The reception tables were set up on the beach and made available the kitchens of the West Virginia and Arizona battleships mooring in port.

For Dylan the problem with the dress did not exist, he would have worn the air force uniform.

They had fantasized about that day, how it would be, what they would feel, it was strange how life could change at any moment, the war, the destinies of everyone swirling until Brenda and Dylan had come across each other and never broken up. It was a love that had found its place in the mind and heart, so strong that they both knew it would never abandon them, not even in the face of the atrocities of the world.

Valerie placed the white hibiscus crown on Brenda's head. Her dress was long, white silk and perfectly wrapped Brenda's tiny body. The black hair was loose and slightly wavy on the tips, held still by the flower crown.

"You're beautiful," Valerie told her.

She smiled, she was excited, sorry to have to face her own marriage alone, her mother had written to her that her father's condition was not good and it was impossible for them to reach Hawaii in such a short time, but she had sent her the handkerchief with her initials that her mother had held on her wedding day.

"A new thing," said Valerie, "an old thing," pointed to the handkerchief "a blue thing," she laughed looking at the garter the seams had made for Brenda, "and a borrowed thing," Valerie showed Brenda a white gold necklace with a small diamond crossed by the sparks of the sun.

"Oh Valerie!" Brenda was impressed "I can't accept".

Valerie smiled and put the jewel around Brenda's neck looking at her in the mirror.

"I'm not giving it to you, I'm lending it to you" Valerie laughed.

Brenda touched the diamond. She felt lucky. Inexplicably lucky.

They heard a knock, Andrea looked up and saw Brenda.

"You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen."

Brenda thanked her "You're beautiful too"

Andrea was not used to the frivolities of fashion but found herself comfortable in that antique pink dress that covered her shoulders and allowed her to raise her hair.

Andrea cleared her voice "there's a visit for you".

Valerie looked at Brenda and then together with Andrea they left the room to leave the bride the right space.

Brenda heard a man's footsteps and what she hoped had appeared in front of her.

Dylan's father walked into the room. He held his hat in his hands and squeezed it in embarrassment. Their eyes crossed and clicked each other immediately.

He was a tired, lonely man who had lost his wife and a son. Brenda couldn't have her parents with her but she wanted Dylan to have someone from her family.

He loved his father, she was sure of it, she saw it in his eyes every time he told something about their childhood, he had been a good father who had tried to fight his demons, he changed his face when he didn't have enough strength to send them away and then this man fell and became unrecognizable, limping. Brandon was the one who wrote him letters, who remembered the days without demons and rejected those when he lost his heart, Dylan worried about his brother and his mother and so he had only begun to see his father's bad things, his angular sides.

Dylan was afraid that his father would be angry with him because he had failed to protect Brandon.

Brenda had begun to write to him, to tell him about them, until she could decide on a date for the wedding that would allow Jim to come.

She couldn't have her mother with her, Dylan couldn't have her brother.

Jim would have had his son.

Brenda approached the man "I'm glad you could come"

He smiled "call me Jim, please, you're a really beautiful bride" he said and a tear got caught in the eyelashes of that tired and lonely man whose life had taken a bad descent and seemed never to stop.

New York

90s

Brandon and Steve were at apartment 7E. They heard noises in the apartment and Kelly's faint voice asking "who is it?"

Hearing her voice stopped Brandon's breath who immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"Steve and Brandon," Steve replied.

Kelly raised her head and looked at the closed door "Brandon...," she said very softly.

What had they come to do? She walked past the mirror and realized how she looked ugly.

Colin had gone out to get more stuff and could come back from one minute to the next. He wouldn't have liked to find Steve and especially Brandon with her.

"Please, give me a moment," she said.

Her pupils were dilated. She was sweating cold and felt her heart go up her throat.

She rinsed her face with cold water.

She knew they wouldn't go away.

She breathed a couple of long sighs, closing her eyes to try to calm down.

She went to open.

Kelly's eyes immediately found Brandon's. She felt like crying.

She ran a hand through her hair trying to look better than she actually felt.

It didn't take long for Steve and Brandon to realize that Donna and Clare were right.

In Brandon's eyes she had always been beautiful, even without makeup, when she woke up in the morning, ever and ever, but the one in front of him was not the same person he knew. She was weird, had blue dark circles and her pupils watered down and dilated.

"Kelly..." Brandon said in a low voice.

"What are you doing here? Why are you here?"

Kelly looked into Brandon's eyes.

"We came to see how you're doing," Steve said with welcoming eyes.

"I'm fine," Kelly replied, passing her eyes to Brandon and Steve. She didn't believe the lie she was telling either.

"Can we get in?" Brandon asked as his heart broke.

Kelly looked back even though she knew there was no one in the house.

"Colin might come back at any moment and I don't think he'd like to see you here"

"I honestly don't care what Colin thinks," Brandon said angrily. He couldn't even stand the name.

Kelly stiffened, she had a metallic look. Dark.

"I care what Colin thinks," she said knowing she was going to hurt him, "what did you come here to do? Aren't I a stupid whore like Steve described me well?"

Steve frowned "when did I say something like that?" He asked.

Kelly turned her dark gaze to him "in high school you don't remember anymore?" She took a break, cleared her voice "and Brandon was kind enough to remind me of me when he broke up with me."

Brandon swallowed and closed his eyes.

"Please Kelly..."

She looked at him and for a moment looked like the same Kelly as always.

She took a step back and let Brandon and Steve in.

Kelly began to agitate inside the house, picking up the scattered things and trying to give a semblance of order.

Brandon immediately saw Kelly's portrait in the living room, still on the trestle, not finished exactly as Kelly looked like an unfinished person.

"I don't understand what you came to do, I'm fine, and then Colin will be back soon and I don't think he'll be happy to see you here"

"We don't care about Colin," Brandon repeated, "we've come for you."

'Why?' Kelly looked at him, her ways were undecided.

"Donna and Clare were worried about you and honestly us too."

"Kelly..." Brandon said softly almost as if a higher tone could break Kelly "why don't you take some of your clothes and let's get out of here."

"I don't want to leave here, I want to stay in New York"

Brandon handed her his hand, he wanted her to grab him, "let's go home," Brandon said, "I'll be back with you."

Those words made tears rise in Kelly's eyes.

"What's going on here?" Colin had appeared behind their backs.

"Nothing" kelly hurried to justify herself "nothing. Steve and Brandon came to see how it was going in New York, but it's okay, it's okay," Kelly kept repeating as she approached Colin.

Brandon followed her with his eyes.

"Ah this is the famous Brandon," Colin said, shaking hands with Brandon who didn't squeeze it and turned to Kelly "Kelly, come with us."

Colin made a malicious grin "maybe I have to call the police, you walked into my house and you bother my girlfriend."

"Kelly..." Brandon said softly without taking his open hand towards her.

Colin picked up the phone and dialed 911.

"my name is Colin Robbins, I live at 212 Metropolitan Avenue, I found two individuals in my house who are bothering my girlfriend"

Steve opened his eyes wide 'let's go Brandon before they arrest us'

"Kel..." Brandon kept looking at her and she couldn't support his gaze.

"Maybe it's better if you go, I'm fine," she said.

Neither Brandon nor steve believed Kelly's words, she wasn't well.

"Let's go Brandon" steve pulled him by the arm "she doesn't want to come."

"I can always cancel the call to the police if you leave," Colin said.

"I think you'd be fine," Brandon replied, looking at him with a bad look, "otherwise we'll tell him to search the apartment and maybe they'll find the cocaine"

Colin stiffened and so did Kelly.

"Go," she said.

Steve pulled Brandon by the arm who came out with him and the door closed behind them.

They couldn't do anything else for the time being.

Pearl Harbour

November 6, 1941

Dylan was buttoning his uniform. It was definitely one of the happiest days he had lived there, he was going to marry his love forever because Dylan felt she was his love forever, but at that moment the lack of Brandon thundered.

There were other guys in his place. Other military. More lost and lonely hearts.

He heard a knock on the door.

"Come in " he said to enter without turning around.

The door opened and he recognized those steps in a million steps.

He felt that the tears were rising.

Dylan turned around "dad ..." he barely whispered.

He appeared in a blue dress, a little crooked by the trip.

Dylan thought for a moment that his father wasn't really there and that he was a ghost.

"Dad"whispered again "how..."

"Brenda wrote to me, told me so many things, asked me to come, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to be here today, but Brenda told me that you wanted me to be here..."

The man was moved, nervously holding his hat in his hands.

Dylan didn't say a word he took steps towards him and hugged him tightly "dad" he said as he squeezed him to himself.

His father had always seemed to him the greatest and the strongest of all but now that he had him in front of him he seemed much smaller and older than he remembered.

"I'm sorry dad," Dylan said sobbing, "Brandon.."

Dylan wanted to explain what he couldn't explain, that he hadn't taken care of his brother, that he had let him die, and that's why he hadn't written to his father."

The father held on to him, stroked his hair "it wasn't your fault" he said and that sentence broke Dylan "it wasn't your fault, Brandon was a soldier and the soldiers die and he knew it. You couldn't do anything."

Dylan couldn't stop the same tears that had accumulated for months and that filled the deep hole Brandon's death had left in his heart.

The father broke the hug "I met Brenda" he said "she's a wonderful girl, you're a very lucky man, she's as beautiful as your mom"

Dylan nodded. She wanted to keep her father still close to him but there was a wedding to celebrate and that could still be the best day of his life.

Normandy.

November 06, 1941. Thursday.

Brandon saw Mrs. Isabel walk away in her car. It was Thursday. The most beautiful day.

The day she went to Rouen to collect the rents and wouldn't come back until the evening.

Kelly got off shortly after the car had moved away.

"Bonjour Monsier Brandon"

"Bonjour," he replied with a beautiful smile.

His French was improving and so was his general condition. He was moving steps around the room.

Kelly was with him and had a different look.

'What's going on?' He Asked. She kept watching him gently. He had thought about him so much, she had imagined him so much.

"Are you ready for the French lesson?"

He smiled and nodded.

"Even today I have a surprise for you" she said "I thought we could do both" she smiled "both a little gymnastics and French"

Kelly pulled out the vinyl she kept hidden behind her back and put it on top of the gramophone plate that had been stacked in the room where Brandon was sleeping. Since Pierre left, music was banned at home.

Kelly put the pin on the record, and made it play.

The music croaked out slowly.

one day you'll be back, I already know I'll see you arrive

She looked at him he approached a few steps and put his arm around her waist squeezing her to himself ...

They began to move slowly and Kelly rested her head on his chest.

but now it's time for pain that I can't stand

They were wail in the eyes and the whole world was gone out.

They danced tight lenses, and dreamed of running in the rain to reach their home in Paris.

we fell in love and it's no one's fault

At this sentence Kelly looked up and he brought his lips closer to her own, they kissed and that kiss became more and more frantic and deep.

Kelly wanted him and no longer intended to deny it to herself, she desperately wanted him. Soon Brandon would leave, she would never see him again, she was in desperate need of having that moment with him.

She let him touch her, unbutton her blouse, every gesture was dictated by desire, care and love. Brandon drove her to the bed, and the music was still re sounding inside the room.

Kelly let him kiss every part of her body, she desperately wanted to be loved too and love him. Keep this memory for life.

They made love in that cellar in a slow and very sweet way.

Time seemed to have stopped.

Brandon felt for the first time something breaking inside him, that came out outside, he wanted to take her away, as he pushed sweetly inside her and looked her in the eyes, he wanted her to be his thing forever, he would come back to take her one day, he had to come back or he would die of heartbreak too. Why did she hurt so much and make him happy at the same time?

Once the love was over, they lay a little in bed together.

He played with her hair.

The music had been over for a while.

" What do you think?" He said.

"I want to go away with you," she replied.

There was no time for an answer. They heard cars coming.

'Who is it?'

Kelly did get up nacked on the bed to peek through Brandon's small basement window.

She saw the unmistakable cars, and the unmistakable boots coming down from the cars.

They were the Germans. The German soldiers. They had come to her house.